BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - (HealthTech Wire / Opinion by Petra Wilson) - There are few women in healthcare IT – and fewer still in its upper ranks. As senior managers in the profession, we have a duty to do something about this, says Cisco's Petra Wilson.
- Across the healthcare IT sector, women are still very much under-represented
- IT's image problem is one reason for there being so few women in healthcare IT
- Senior managers have to educate their peers about the value of diversity in teams and encourage women contemplating a career in healthcare IT
One of the most successful IT transformation projects I've ever worked on was run by a woman, but that was a rare experience. Across the healthcare IT sector as a whole, women are still very much under-represented – and especially at senior level. If we are to help our industry to fulfil its potential, as senior managers we have a duty to do something about this.
IT's image problem is one reason for there being so few women in healthcare IT. A lot of people still think those in IT sit in a room on their own all day writing software! This doesn't appeal to the majority of women, who often prefer more people oriented roles. There's also an educational issue: girls don't often choose – and aren't encouraged to choose – the subjects at school that will lead into IT – and the industry has done little to challenge this.
Although healthcare IT is still a relatively young profession, it has taken on board many of the bad habits of other professions – accordingly it too suffers from 'glass ceilings', 'sticky floors', 'old boys' networks' and set attitudes that can often hinder women from rising up the ranks within the profession.
The changing scene
But all this is changing – slowly. Largely because of social networking tools, people are starting to experience IT as an everyday part of their lives and tech companies like Google and Apple, once the domain of 'geeks' alone, are now becoming more 'glamorous'. And this is beginning to pique women's interest.
And not before time, as there are numerous reasons why a career in healthcare IT would appeal to women. Contrary to popular opinion, IT – and healthcare IT in particular – is largely about looking at a problem and working out with others how to solve it – not a lonely job at all!
It also has the advantage of being a career which you can enter at many different levels and with many different backgrounds. Of course you will need a minimum level of IT knowledge but that doesn't have to be through formal training. I tend to look more for a good basic education and an energy and a passion when I look at job candidates. Women have a lot to offer healthcare IT. Take the project I mentioned at the beginning – to transform the Emergency Department at Nottingham University Hospital in the UK. The project was led by a nurse called Amber Bristow – not top down by the IT team – and it was her ability to see what was needed and to connect with her peers 'on the shop floor' that made it so successful. In most healthcare institutions, the footsoldiers are nurses and the majority of nurses are women, so having more women in healthcare IT (who can really connect with the 'shop floor') the more successful a project will be.
What we can do
So, as senior managers within the healthcare IT industry, we have a duty to do three things. First, to educate our peers about the value of diversity in teams. And we need to keep plugging away at this – it doesn't happen by itself! We also need to do our bit to reach out into the educational system to bring more women into healthcare IT. And lastly, we must seek out all the development opportunities that exist, even if at first they may not be seen to be directly within our fields, so we can grow the message.
And we can do a lot more to encourage women contemplating a career in healthcare IT. It is a growing area, a fun and exciting one, and very heavily dependent on the skills of transformation and engagement – which women often have.
We can also encourage women already in healthcare IT to scan their horizons for people who can help them fulfil their ambitions. To gather mentors and role models and make connections with them – something a lot of women are good at.
And don't forget to call on HIMSS to help in all the above – it has extensive links with training organisations across Europe and is doing much to promote the concept of women in healthcare IT. See also Europe's Information Society's IT Girls campaign.
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Petra Wilson is senior director of the European Health and Care team for Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group and a Governing Council Member of HIMSS Europe. She is based in Brussels.
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